Review: 2024 Fox Float Factory Shock

Nov 15, 2023
by Mike Kazimer  
photo

The Fox Float launched earlier this year, an inline shock that sits between the Float SL and the piggyback-reservoir equipped Float X. The goal was to take attributes from the Float X and put them into a smaller, lighter package that can work with a wide range of modern trail bikes.

When placed side by side, the size difference between the Float and the Float SL air cans is immediately evident. That larger air can allow for riders to run lower pressures, and prevents the shock from ramping up too quickly. It's not just the air can that grew – the shaft and the piston that's inside are both slightly larger, which allows for more oil flow and should help maintain consistent damping on longer descents.

Float Details
• Adjustments: rebound, two-position compression lever (with 3 settings in open position)
• Size: Standard eyelet: 170, 190, 210, 230. Trunnion: 145, 165, 185, 205
• Weight: 361 grams (210 standard eyelet)
• MSRP: $499 USD
• ridefox.com
The Float is available in 170, 190, 210, and 230mm lengths with a standard eyelet, and in 145,165, 185, and 205mm length for trunnion mounts. The weight of my 210 x 50mm shock was 361 grams.

Fox Float review
The Float (left) shown next to the DPS, which has since been replaced by the Float SL.

Fox Float review
Volume spacers of different thicknesses can be used to adjust the amount of ramp up, and the MCU bottom-out bumper helps cushion the blow when full travel is used.
photo
There are two main positions for the compression lever, with three additional settings in the open position.

Adjustments

The Float has a red rebound dial located in its typical position, and there's a two position lever that toggles the compression between open and locked out. The open mode can be customized by selecting from one of three different settings – the lower the number the lower the amount of compression damping.

The lockout mode isn't externally adjustable, but there are different tunes available, which means that it doesn't necessarily have to be an super firm setting – if a rider wanted, Fox could tune it to be a little softer for riders who'd rather have more grip when climbing.

Plastic volume reducers of various sizes can be added or removed to alter the amount of end-stroke ramp up. A MCU bumper helps dissipate the impact force to prevent any harsh claings or bangs when the shock reaches the end of its stroke.


photo

Performance

Climbing

The shock I tested had a firm lock out setting, one that's best suited to pavement or gravel roads rather than chunkier terrain. It does have enough give during larger impacts to keep your bones from getting rattled if you forget to flip the lever before descending, but it's not a setting that's usuable on any sort of technical descent.

Honestly, I'm not totally convinced by the move to a two position lever. On the previous Float DPS I'd regularly use the middle compression setting for much of my ride, and then flip to the fully open position for extended sections of downhill. Removing that feature doesn't seem to come with any benefit, especially since it's possible to inadvertently move the lever into the non-existent middle position.

That brings me to the other criticism I have about the lever – it can be a little awkward to move on the fly, since the air valve gets in the way. If the sweep of the lever was adjusted to move the final position to the center of the current range of motion it would make more sense. As it is, it's not ideal.

Descending

I tested this shock on a number of bikes, starting with the Commencal Tempo, where it temporaily took the spot of the DPS that the bike comes with. Compared to the DPS, the Float has a 'deeper' feel, taking more of the edge of small and medium hits. The DPS feels firmer in the early part of the stroke, which does give it a sportier, slightly more supportive feel, where the Float seems to lean more towards descending performance, and is more eager to use its travel. It also requires less air pressure – in this case, 140 psi vs. the 170 psi I ran in the DPS to achieve 25% sag for my 160 pound weight, which could be beneficial to heavier riders.

In the case of the Tempo, the difference in the performance of the Float compared to the DPS isn't enough to make me rush out to swap shocks. The stock DPS on the Tempo works great, and I prefer the three position lever to the two position one on the Float.

That said, the Float is still a good option for riders who don't want to take the weight penalty of a piggyback shock, but want something that's a bit more forcused on descending performance.

photo
Fox Float (Photo: Fox)
Fox Float X and DHX 2022
Fox Float X

How does it compare?

Compared to the Float X, the Float costs $100 less, and it's roughly 130 grams lighter. It also takes up less room due to the lack of a piggyback reservoir. Both shocks have two compression positions, but the Float X has a wider range of options in the open position - 10 clicks instead of 3.

On the trail, both shock are similarly quiet, and there's not a dramatic difference between the two when it comes to how they react to impacts. That said, I did some back-to-back laps with the Float against the Float X on an Orbea Occam, and I preferred the Float X - the wider range of adjustments meant I could make it a little softer off the top, and it did a better job at taking the edge off of larger hits. I didn't have any consistency issues with either shock, but in theory, the Float X's design should be better suited to extended downhill runs.

In this category the RockShox Deluxe is also worth considering – with the right tune that can be a very impressive shock – the Scor 2030 I reviewed earlier this year helped remind me of that fact. It too has a two position lever, with three settings for the open position. It's a similar weight, and the price is slightly less, at $430 USD.



Pros

+ Lighter than Float X with similar (but not identical) performance
+ Easy setup and effective adjustments


Cons

- Compression lever positioning isn't perfect


Pinkbike's Take

bigquotesThe trail bike category is more nebulous than ever these days, which makes figuring out exactly where the Float fits in a little tricky. It does deliver more grip and a smoother end stroke than a DPS, and it's smaller and lighter than the Float X, which means it could be a worthy upgrade for a rider on something like the Specialized Stumpjumper or Santa Cruz Tallboy, shorter travel bikes that can also be pushed hard in rougher terrain. — Mike Kazimer




Posted In:
Reviews and Tech Reviews Shocks Fox Racing Fox Float


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116 Comments
  • 202 4
 Con, without the piggyback it doesn't look nearly as cool.
  • 35 0
 yes, you lose gnar points for no reservoir, that just means more space for a water bottle!

going to get my dirtbag card revoked for this, but the DPS was/is my favourite Fox shock out of the DPS, DPX2, X2, and DHX2. so tuneable, sensitive but poppy, and can still handle some serious chunk.
  • 44 0
 @scotteh: Exactly. If you have no piggyback, you must turn in your Monster energy flat brim hat immediately and go home
  • 22 1
 @matyk: Do I get to keep my white sunglasses?
  • 10 0
 @powderhoundbrr: You may keep those only if your bike still has a Zeb or Fox 38 for no real noticeable gain. Remember, we're talking gnar points.
  • 7 0
 @matyk: But my local fireroads are littered with braking bumps, how else would I clear them?
  • 4 4
 @scotteh: funny, the DPS was my least favorite shock out of an X-Fusion O2, Manitou McLeod (favorite) and Fox DPS Evol. If that was the best Fox shock, I'm not trying another one.
  • 4 0
 @singletrackslayer: It's critical to have a bike with a headtube angle of 63 degrees or less to clear gravel road that gnarly.
  • 40 2
 How do we (reviewers and educated readers) feel about shock reviews? Based on my limited understanding, there are so many factors including most notably tune, and frame kinematic which affect rear suspension performance. How do the seemingly minute differences between different shocks factor into the equation? Would love to spark some thoughtful conversation here, I know it’s a tough ask…
  • 14 0
 You raise good points, but the reviewer can still check that the adjustments make meaningful changes that allow them to find a setup that suits their bike and terrain. And that’s important
  • 9 0
 I find them interesting to learn about the tech in whatever the shock is, but less so for performance due to what you mentioned.

Potentially useful to hear about durability/serviceability if it is a long term review.
  • 25 0
 When outside bought PinkBike I had brought up that with this new pump of money PB got that a "PinkBike Labs" would be super sick for when suspension comes through the door for review.

Because you're right. We have to assume that shock was set up 100% correctly to manufacturer specs for that particular bike or we could be getting a review that's way off as the shock wasn't being used effectively. Now obviously we know that most the reviewers for the most part know why they are doing but.... If we had a shock and fork Dyno we could learn a lot more and we could see if what is being claimed by the manufacturer is actually true.

The general public is getting far smarter when it comes to bike tech and yet reviews are still done in a pretty archaic way for suspension. I'd rather see a quick mini write up and a link the write-up to a video on YouTube that is a deeper dive into what the shock is doing, what it can do and some characteristics we may feel based on what we learn in "The Lab"

Hell call up Steve at vorsprung and see if he would do a joint project with you guys where you hand off the shock to him and he does a 5 minute deep dive into what's all going on.
  • 6 0
 The short answer is that it is damn near impossible to summarize a shock that would be applicable to many riders. On the flip side, most riders probably aren't going to be able to tell the difference between small tuning changes. The ones that do, aren't going to be making a decision based on reviews like this. I agree that there needs to be a metric that ties together shock performance independent of suspension leverage. Or maybe that's impossible. More realistically, though, dyno results overlaid with a bike's suspension curve to calculate the force profile throughout the travel range would be neat. It's a lot of work to do, though, for multiple damping settings. Spikes in damping profiles is also something that isnt discussed like it is in the air shaft. Dampers can get overwhelmed at certain shaft speeds etc... leading to an unwanted result. I bet Seb Stott could put together a testing protocol for key elements like this.
  • 1 0
 @maestroman21: agreed
  • 6 0
 I think Kaz made a good point when he talked about the DPS seemed to want to stay higher in its travel (sportier) and the Float sitting lower in the travel (descender).
This is good info to know if you are looking to buy aftermarket and can't try either shock out. Those characteristics alone will 100% change the ride of the bike.
  • 10 1
 If you want to know something about the shock itself that isn't some emergent phenomenon (checking the 'educated reader' credential [eyeroll]) of shock+bike, then you have to observe the shock alone, probably in a dyno, and then take on the honestly difficult task of translating whichever of those objective data you think really inform what it will ride like into terms your audience can use. Alternatively, people could agree that thinking about a shock (or a lot of other components) in a vacuum doesn't make a lot of sense, that almost everything we care about are emergent phenomena, and then accept that a test is really a bike+shock test that _isn't_ necessarily generalizeable to other bikes with the same shock or other shocks with the same bike. But this holistic option cuts against the entire marketing and component review strategy of presenting everything as interchangeable, where each little piece of the outcome (stoke, rad, compliance, plushness, fast) is somehow inherent in each little piece of kit. See also fallacy of division, or the many great works of philosophy of science that tackle the problem of reductionism.
  • 1 5
flag pink505 (Nov 15, 2023 at 12:56) (Below Threshold)
 No
  • 2 0
 @Snfoilhat: Not sure if you are just joking but this for sure is not about holism/reductionism.
It's pretty clear how a leverage curve and shock dyno curve work together to produce a characteristic of a rear end suspension, it is not an emergent phenomenon in my definition.
Not measuring the dyno curve (nor acknowledging that those curves are different for different shock tunes) and just testing it on one bike is not reductionism, it's more the lack of it.
  • 1 0
 @TheBearDen: Blister Review is already doing this with their Blister Labs partnership. Definitely worth checking out if the idea is interesting to you.
  • 2 0
 You're right. 30% hardware and 70% tuning makes a shock good. A good tuned performance level dps would be much better than a not good tuned x2 or something even more expensive.
  • 7 0
 @ak-77: i’m not kidding but i sure can be wrong. The way i think of it, the leverage stuff can be measured or calculated on a frame alone; it exists in the frame. The damping with respect to forces on the shock shaft, acceleration, position, all that is measured on a shock; it exists in the shock. Damping forces with respect to forces at the wheel, acceleration, position, not only can’t be measured in either alone bit don’t even exist until the two are combined. Emergent. Half the behavior isn’t predicted by knowledge of the shock and half isn’t predicted by knowledge of the frame kinematic. Lastly and most important for me, Kazimer’s reviews are so much better at avoiding this trap of speculative, extrapolative number wanking that gives some readers the sense of having learned something without the substance. Bad data makes people dumb. Good data is f-ing expensive, and if someone thinks i must be wrong they probably just bought a random number generator with a Schrader valve for their fork. Sorry for your loss, that someone
  • 1 0
 @simonconde: as noted above its almost impossible to know if this is due to the suspension curves of the bike, the specific tunes of the shocks (are the Float and FloatDPS have the same tune? And between models how does that compare?) or the specific setup and settings of either shock?

I'm not having an issue with the review, just that this is a hugely subjective observation, and one that's likely due to many other variables other than the model of shock.

That said I sure like the Float DPS and on my 135 trail bike and I would only consider swapping to a coil for sensitivity before I would consider a different air shock.
  • 1 0
 @Snfoilhat: To me, both the bike leverage and the shock are systems that have one input and one output, and the input of the shock is the output of the bike leverage. The input of the bike leverage is the position of the wheel, the output is position of the shock mounting point. The relation between the two is easily measured and/or known from the manufacturer. The response of the shock is a function of the input (both direct and its time derivative), that function can be measured on a dyno. It's different of course for shocks with different tunes and shocks with different stroke lengths.
So if you know the leverage curve and the shock response the whole system is known.
Emergent phenomena to me are the result of complex networks with recursive relations between the different subsystems, that lead to system states that are not trivially predicted from the subsystem properties. But I guess that's semantics.
The value of a review with proper data input can be that the reviewer takes the shock data and uses their expert knowledge to explain what this shock will do on bikes with different leverage curves. And perhaps give recommendations on changes from the default tune for certain bikes. RIght now, I have no idea whether this 'it rides deeper in the travel' observation is due to the specific properties of the shock, or just a tune difference. If you change the volume spacer it will ride higher or lower. Of course, other observations like the stuff about the lever and the adjustability vs the float x are useful info too.
  • 1 0
 @simonconde: that behavior can be tuned to a certain extend with the negative spacers as well, for instance Specialized uses two negative spacers for the Stumpjumper to enhance the pedaling platform. I wonder if the stock DPS on the TEMPO and the Float from the test are setup the same negative spacer wise.
  • 1 0
 Most reviews are really pointless without numbers. If Pinkbike invested in a shock dyno, then you would be able to see the differences between shocks.
  • 24 5
 130g isn't enough not to have the piggyback and pretty much never dealing with overheating issues.
  • 12 1
 The Float has a higher nitrogen charge, 550psi, than the float X at 150psi. That keeps cavitation down and helps with the excess heat. That's probably also why the reviewer found it so similar to the Float X.
  • 6 3
 @z-man: 550psi is like having a bomb under your bits..
Curious if the high pressure helps for riders in warm climates.
  • 15 8
 @z-man: Cavitation is the wrong word; you meant Aeration.
  • 9 3
 @Speedychad: Not really. Cavitation is due to pressure differences as oil flows through ports and past shims. Aeration is when the IFP pressure or air can pressure forces it's way into the damping fluid.
  • 6 3
 @Speedychad: It's like props on nuclear subs. Cavitation creates noise so they have optimized their props to reduce this. Or like how SRAM tells you to degass your brake fluid in the syringe. Cavities form when fluids are subjected to a vacuum. That's what happens when a prop pushes through water, high pressure on one side and low on the other, causing cavities to open and rapidly close making noise and making the sub more noticeable.

This cavitation is the enemy of a damper as it create excess heat and causes loss of damping. That's why a piggy back shock is typically better. It can spread the forces that cause cavitation between two valves rather than just one. That's why the Float X only needs 150psi. This should also mean less breakaway force, but with how advanced air springs have become that's less of an issue.
  • 1 0
 @z-man: Oh, I might've learned something just now? Is it generally true that piggyback shocks have lower IFP pressure than inline shocks? And that means that it's easier for piggyback shocks to get into their travel because there's less IFP pressure to overcome?
  • 6 6
 @z-man: Correct on both accounts explaining Cavitation. However in suspension humans cannot actuate a shock fast enough to cause Cavitation. Using that word when describing something in suspension is very misleading.
  • 10 3
 Ex-sub guy here.... cavitation is just a fancy word for bubbles.
  • 1 0
 @Speedychad: you can create cavitation with vacuum, no need for speed. You'll need speed to create cavitation in a centrifugal pump
  • 1 0
 @Speedychad: ahhhh I get it, in the show, speed, oil, vacuum... Ok. Maybe the pressure difference could explain it too.
  • 3 2
 @Speedychad:

That isn't the case. Cavitation is quite common in suspension, especially front suspension where dampers aren't charged. Remember that rear suspension on a bike is usually between 2:1 and 3:1, meaning the shaft speen on the shock will move 2 to 3 times faster than the rear axle. So yes, cavitation certainly happens on MTB suspension.
  • 3 0
 @thustlewhumber: ...but not all bubbles are created thru cavitation.
  • 3 2
 @thustlewhumber: It's like getting the Benz. All fluids have a vapor pressure and will absorb a certain amount of gass at certain pressures. That fluid will then release that gas when the pressure is released. That's a for of cavitation. You blood absorbs nitrogen at higher pressures under water, and if you sirfa e before they have a chance to slowly dissipate you'll get the Benz.
  • 2 1
 @z-man: lol k
  • 9 0
 @z-man:

Can’t comment on the bubble science, but your math on leverage ratio is backwards: shock moves less/slower than rear axle.
  • 7 0
 @z-man: Audi thought you would know how to spell "bends". Opelly you'll learn.
  • 2 2
 @Speedychad: Yeah, that's why damper architectire is designed to reduce cavitation. Sorry bud but you don't seem to know what you're talking about. Just google "damper cavitation" and you'll find a better explanation.
  • 2 3
 @MtbSince84: Just like you do when you're in a rush, I make spelling errors and oftentimes my autocorrect changes it to the wrong word. The theory is still correct.
  • 1 0
 @mattmatthew: ...and but not all bubbles sandblast!
  • 2 0
 @z-man: I won't tell you about the 1000+ psi in your aircan at bottom out then Wink
  • 2 0
 @z-man: on most frames I know the shaft moves 2-3 times slower than the rear axle.
  • 2 0
 @mafflin: Cavitation is not about speed but pressure drop. If the flow restriction acros the piston/valve is high enough, you don't need so much shaft speed...
www.instagram.com/p/CyjjcqUrXB3
  • 2 2
 @Speedychad: nope. He’s actually correct there
  • 1 0
 @z-man: I wish I knew getting a Benz was so easy, I wouldn't have gotten this fancy job to pay for it...
  • 13 1
 The RS Deluxe is also a bit more versatile with the different air cans available and negative spacer tuning. No gold tho...
  • 11 2
 The dps was underated, it was very reliable, had good midstroke support and packaged nicely. The DPS outperformed the dpx2 in every way. The float x has been a great shock and I assume the float is also a great shock that will work just as well, just as long if you can avoid the envy of a reservoir. Which, well I cannot.
  • 2 0
 I have not had great luck with the Float X so far... Enjoying my DPS though
  • 2 0
 @notthatfast: plus the lack of reservoir on my DPS allows me to fit a 250ml larger water bottle, score!
  • 2 0
 Minus the snapping shafts.
  • 1 0
 @KickFlipABike: haven't heard of snapping shafts on air shocks
  • 1 0
 @way2manyhobbies2keep: The damper shaft is thin and can snap. Look up Float DPS snapped shaft.
  • 6 0
 despited frame and weight specific tuning my fox float factory was either sensitive on small bumps or bottomed out on bigger hits. might be nice for lighter riders on some frames, but not for me.

moved on to a mara il and never looked back. the manitou just works brilliantly.

the price difference from selling of the fox allowed for a hand full of lift-aided days.

and yes, it gets a bit warm on 5k vertical days, yet works as expected even on the last descent of a long day. only drawback: no full lock-out.
  • 4 0
 I have been running this on a Specialized Stumpjumper (non-evo) since launch and it is a significant step up in comfort over long descents compared to the DPS. It manages heat better and the bike doesn't feel like a hard tail at the bottom. Compared to a Float X, the lockout is much more firm. This should be a good OEM choice for 2024 130/120 or even 140/130 trail bikes.
  • 1 0
 you like it over the Float X on the stumpy? DPS def firms up on high speed chunk.
  • 2 0
 Not a high bar to set, but good to know it's finally better than a DPS.
  • 2 0
 @dmondave: I've got to be honest that in a day doing Creekside laps this summer, and another at Snoqualmie Pass bike park I never had this issue. Even riding fast, top to bottom, immediately on the chair and back at it laps.

But your results may vary...
  • 1 0
 @dmondave: To me the flex stay stumpy is more towards downcountry and this new shock really suits it. It improves on things the DPS lacked (at least for my mountainous terrain) without going full plush. The Float X is great overall but it suits a bike with a Fox 36 type of fork up front or a more descent focused bike like my outgoing Smuggler.
  • 2 0
 @BarryWalstead: I have the same experience as you. I have ridden the DPS here in the Alps on 1000m+ vertical drop descents without a break and never felt any fading.
  • 3 0
 I also have this shock on a Stumpy and it completely changed my attitude on the bike. It rides way better now - much better bottom out, way less harsh, and stays where it should in the travel. Not sure I get all of Kaz's take on the DPS staying higher in the travel, the new Float seems to do that just fine.

TL;DR: New Float on Stumpy is the bomb
  • 1 0
 @TheArbez: do you have the stock aftermarket tune?
  • 3 0
 @mikekazimer I'd love to hear more about valving on replacement shocks. Did you get 1 off the shelf shock from fox that had a generic tune? Or did you get test shocks for your different test bikes that had a recommended shim stack from the frame manufacturer? I think this is a great area for an article as I hear about people buying aftermarket shocks and then having a horrible experience as they didn't get it tuned, or it wasn't tuned right for their kinematics.
  • 2 0
 I researched this and was surprised that RockShox publishes their shim stack info for a shock so that you can actually shim the shock for a specific tune, or to mimic how a company intended the shock to be set up for a bike.
www.sram.com/globalassets/document-hierarchy/tuning-manuals/rockshox-rear-shock-piston-tuning-guide.pdf
  • 1 0
 @werts They get them directly from the manufacturer tuned for the bike.
  • 6 0
 luckily the aircan is kashima too, unrideable otherwise
  • 1 0
 That’s actually where kashima is used in moto suspension, on the outer legs.
  • 5 0
 it's got to match the Kashima rails on your bike rack
  • 1 0
 @mattddrchs: theres no full kashima bike yet?
  • 1 1
 For the inside of the aircan to have Kashima, the outside has to have it. Inside is where you want it. Outside it just looks cool.
  • 1 1
 @onemanarmy: haha it looks cool. in 2007 maybe
  • 2 0
 @mikekazimer how would you compare the DPS vs the X on the TEMPO? I've currently got a DPS Performance (stock on the TEMPO Essential) & considering upgrading for more downhill performance, it sounds like you would take the X over the Float for this?
  • 4 0
 Yes, in that case I'd go with the X - it's nice having the extra compression clicks, and I think the climb switch will end up being easier to reach on that shock as well.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer: got it - thanks!
  • 6 0
 Yeah but how does it compare to an RP23?
  • 3 0
 The only thing more boring then shock review is....well nothing. My request then all is to figure out how to get us good shocks without the nitrogen charge so we can go back to doing full services DIY.
  • 8 0
 I use a proprietary 78% Nitrogen mixed blend gas in my shock. Works great!
  • 1 0
 a nice Schrader valve is nice for home service indeed
  • 2 0
 Some questions I think could be included in a shock review:
Does this have a rebuildable base valve assembly? That was a problem with the DPX2, it was replaceable, but difficult to bleed properly, so I'm told.
Does this support custom shim stacks?
I am really impressed with RockShox that they publish tuning guides for some of their rear shocks with different shim stacks shown....does Fox do the same?
  • 2 0
 I think the best new feature is you can recharge the IFP with a Schrader valve adapter instead of accidentally poking yourself with an incredibly sharp needle going through a modified allen key. Rebuilding my DPS would be so much easier with the new system.
  • 2 0
 "Honestly, I'm not totally convinced by the move to a two position lever. On the previous Float DPS I'd regularly use the middle compression setting for much of my ride, and then flip to the fully open position for extended sections of downhill."

Yup.
  • 1 0
 So, I bought one of these to put on my short travel bike (120 mm rear) to supplement the factory spec DPS that came stock.. I completely agree with Mike Kazimer's comments about how the 2024 Float would be much better with a 3 position compression lever like the DPS as this is sorely missed on flatter or rolling terrain. However, as a heavier rider (205 lbs), the new Float works so much better for me than the DPS on technical trails or when going downhill. I can run way less pressure for the amount of same sag which mitigates the pogo-ing effect I would sometimes get with the DPS. I can also run the new Float without spacers, which is great. I still have the DPS and sometimes swap it back in when I'm on mellow terrain, but I wouldn't need to do this if the new Float had that 3-position lever. Overall, it's a pretty good shock but somewhat compromised by a design/marketing choice.
  • 6 1
 Wish it had more LSC/HSC controls
  • 4 0
 Cane Creek Air IL has those.....
  • 6 0
 @natefield: Fox and RS inline shocks seem very mediocre next to the Cane Creek IL.
  • 1 0
 The change from a DPS to a Float X on my last bike was marked - with the biggest change to my butt-dyno being the upgrade to the big, DHX style elastomer bottom our bumper (I am not sure what the DPS has, but I think its more like a hard plastic nugget). On the modern short travel but aggressive geo trail bike, this meant the bike felt much happier occasionally running right up to the end of its travel, unlike with a DPS where it feels like something to be avoided.

It sounds like the new Float should have similar benefits without the extra weight and size of the Float X and thus I can see it working really well on Tallboy, Optic,Izzo etc....


Note also that on the Float X I thought the 2 pos switch also made more sense than the 3pos - Open was any time was 'mountainbiking' whether climbing or descending. Closed for riding to the trailhead, dragging up a big fireroad etc. However without the finer 10 way compression adjust I can see this might be trickier.
  • 1 0
 "That larger air can allow for riders to run lower pressures, and prevents the shock from ramping up too quickly."

It's not the larger can that allows/forces lowers pressures, it's the relationship of positive to negative chambers AND most importantly the piston area. With the same piston area (the "SI" in PSI), and same pos:neg ratio, it doesn't matter how big the chambers are, the same initial pressure (the "P" in PSI) is going to give the same initial force.
  • 1 0
 "in this case, 140 psi vs. the 170 psi I ran in the DPS"

~20% more piston area (2.11 si vs 1.77 si) nets same force with ~20% less pressure
  • 1 0
 "Honestly, I'm not totally convinced by the move to a two position lever. On the previous Float DPS I'd regularly use the middle compression setting for much of my ride... Removing that feature doesn't seem to come with any benefit"

Why do you assume the new "closed" setting corresponds to the old "closed"? Why not the old "middle"? They're both tunable internally, it's totally possible that the new shock could be setup to effectively remove only the old "closed" setting and the remaining two are more equivalent to the old "open" and "middle".
  • 3 3
 It's too bad that air pressure and spacers are not enough to make a shock work for all ... if you are lucky they do, most of the time they do not. After 35 years of MTB suspension it would be nice to have a simple and light shock that can be REALLY tuned to perfection in your garage. This one is clearly not ...
  • 3 2
 Had a float on an old Yeti...replaced with a CaneCreek DBIL and the difference was startling. It was as if I had removed a piece of 2x4 and replaced with an actual shock. Been awhile...hopefully they have improved.
  • 5 2
 On sale now for $10 as Fox Factory SSG laid off 70 employees last week
  • 1 0
 So I assume the Float X air can seal kit works with this shock? (SKU: 803-01-727). The DPS is great because it uses the $20 Float seal kit.
  • 1 0
 Should have tested it vs the DSP, where i heard its night and day better. Im looking to get this or an x on my element next after going to a 140mm air shaft.
  • 1 0
 @mikekazimer - interested to know what volume spacer(s) this comes with stock. Also do you have a Float SL review coming? Timing?
  • 11 11
 In my 15 years of mountain biking I have never owned a Fox product that I liked. Want a good air shock, Manitou Mara Inline or Manitou Mara Pro.
  • 1 0
 "There are two main positions for the compression lever"

Are there non-main positions? Sub-positions?
  • 3 2
 I was pretty shocked with this review.
  • 2 1
 I think the look of a piggyback makes me faster
  • 1 0
 So, same, but different? But still same.
  • 1 0
 Is it still 2005?
  • 12 14
 Hopefully this one won't blow up and spew oil after 5 rides...
  • 7 3
 Killed 3 DPS's on my XC bike, can confirm.
  • 7 1
 my deluxe ultimate also does this lol
  • 3 4
 @mariomtblt: all of the deluxe's do. Most of the people complaining about Fox are just regurgitating and likely never owned one that had the issues they're smashing on.
  • 7 2
 @onemanarmy: mate, I blew up 3 of these before switching to a DVO Topaz and have never looked back. It's ok if you are a Fox stan but at least understand that these have had many issues in the past. Just look at the rate at which the X2 blows up...
  • 2 0
 Right, PB slammed DVO and praised this shock. I get it's anecdotal, but I had the exact opposite experience. My DPS was unreliable, too plush no matter what I did, leaked like a sieve right away. DVO's stuff has never let me down. I keep thinking I must be the weird one or the crazy outlier but I've had a lot of buddies blow fox cans up, too.
  • 1 0
 @wcasson: I blew up my X2. No one is perfect. Hell I blew it up a couple times. The new one is much better.

Never said they're perfect. Just said most people just regurgitate what they see on the internet and don't have anything real to say. You had your issues. Glad you found something that works.

I have never had luck with RS products and most people I know running them have issues. That's my experience just like you blowing up 3 Fox's is yours. Just like I hate SRAM brakes but some folks love them.
  • 2 5
 This shock is so good. Why does anything else exist?
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